HOLY WEEK TUNES: CBCP HAS 'PASYON' ONLINE / VISITA IGLESIA IN ILOCOS SUR
MANILA, APRIL 18, 2011 (BULLETIN) PHOTO - IN SANTIAGO Local parishioners wave their 'palaspas' or decorative palm fronds as Monsignor John Bartolome (extreme left at the altar) of Saint James Church in Santiago City in Isabela blesses them during the observance of Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011. Photo by CEASAR M. PERANTE.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES- By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO and CRISTINA I. HERMOSA - It may not be a song from a popular artist like Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars, but it is the most highly recommended music by the Catholic Church to the faithful this Holy Week.
This is the "pasyon" (chanting of the Lord's passion) which is now made available to the faithful online, through the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) "visitaiglesia" website www.visitaiglesia.net.
Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III, Media Office Director of the CBCP, said the online version of the "pasyon" or "pabasa" aims to help the faithful better reflect on the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ this Holy Week.
"The audio of all the 21 chapters of the pasyon is uploaded there," he said.
The CBCP official, however, stressed that the project particularly targets Filipinos abroad and the sick so they may also have the chance to observe Holy Week wherever they are.
"This is for those Filipinos working in countries where there is no church or those working at sea and have no way of going home this Holy Week," he said.
Last year, when the "Visita Iglesia" project was launched, the server of the CBCP crashed due to the big number of users.
"We didn't even advertise it…yet they tried to use it. That's a big learning experience for us. We saw that there is really a need for it," said Quitorio.
"That made us realize that Filipinos are really religious and this they bring with them wherever they may be," he added.
The "Visita Iglesia" website is a multimedia presentation that features 14 shrines and pilgrimage churches corresponding with the 14 Stations of the Cross with reflections given by priests.
The website also features catechesis and reflections of the bishops and priests for Lent, Holy Week and Easter as well as the traditional Seven Last Words, and the "Pasyon."
Different parishes and communities will start the reading(by chanting) of the "pabasa" today, Holy Monday.
In today's solemn observance of Holy Monday (Lunes Santo), the second day of the Semana Santa (Holy Week), the faithful will mark the first day of the "pabasa" or the "pasyon," the Gregorian chanting of the poetic prayer story of Jesus' life, Passion, death, and Resurrection.
"Pabasa" is an old, time-tested Holy Week tradition that has remained well-preserved particularly in the provinces, where it is held continuously day and night, sometimes for as long as three straight days.. In recent years, the melodies of popular tunes are sometimes used to make the chanting of the Biblical passages sound more interesting, lively, and appealing particularly, to the young.
In the provinces, flagellants walk the streets under the scorching summer heat while whipping their backs as a form of penitence or sacrifice. The practice is done annually by penitents as a form of "panata" or vow in exchange for an answered prayer or a standing request or petition. Many of the flagellants bore visible scars on their backs, a sign of years of self-flagellation and sacrifice.
Monday's Gospel readings will focus on the anointing of Jesus at Bethany by Mary, the sister of Martha and the resurrected Lazarus. She anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume and wipes them with her hair. Many of the Jews were also starting to affirm their faith in Jesus on seeing Lazarus whom He raised from the dead.
FROM MANILA TIMES
Visita Iglesia in Ilocos Norte Text and Photos by Alvin I. Dacanay Desk Editor
FOR most Filipinos, Holy Week not only commemorates the painful sacrifice Jesus made to redeem sinners, but also offers the opportunity to retreat from the demands of daily life and escape to serene sceneries, if not into one's soul.
Ilocos Norte is one of many provinces in the country that has such sceneries. The fine beaches of Pagudpud, the coral formations of Currimao, even the sand dunes of La Paz—places like these offer visitors a chance to commune with nature, if not with their Creator.
The province also has several colonial-era churches. These houses of worship testify a great deal to the missionary zeal the Augustinian friars displayed when they evangelized the Ilocos region in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Those with more than a passing interest in local religious architecture and history may see how these structures expectedly share similar traits.
Should you spend Holy Week in Ilocos Norte, embark on that religious tradition called the Visita Iglesia, or church-visiting, by checking out seven of its postcard-perfect churches.
Laoag Cathedral
This church dedicated to Saint William the Hermit, one of several saints that the Augustinians are devoted to, was constructed in the Italian Renaissance style in the 17th century. Shape-wise, this Laoag landmark reminds one of Vigan Cathedral in Ilocos Sur province.
Some may find the cathedral's facade to be lacking in refinement, but that is actually part of its appeal. The paint job it received a few years ago may jar some people, but the church's interiors seem to greatly benefit from it.
Unlike most churches in Manila, the city's famous sinking bell tower (which was reportedly built on sandy foundations) stands across the cathedral. It is a rather unusual feature designed to minimize possible damage: If an earthquake strikes the area and somehow causes the belfry to collapse, it will not directly fall on the church.
Dingras Church Ruins
Among Ilocos Norte's churches, this one dedicated to Saint Joseph had experienced more disasters than anyone could count. A fire in 1914 and an earthquake in 1931 left the Baroque-style structure—the third or fourth one built on the site since the early 17th century—in ruins, forcing the townsfolk at the time to abandon it.
Still, the church—or what was left of it—had managed to retain some charm, even romantic qualities through the decades. Many had expressed admiration for the warmth of the brick facade and walls, as well as its size.
In February, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the facade had been torn down, despite protests from concerned groups. Those behind the action said that the centuries-old bricks salvaged from the site would be used to reconstruct the facade as part of the structure's planned rehabilitation.
Sarrat Church
Most remember this church—its patron is Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo—as the one where Irene Marcos, the third child of the Sarrat-born late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, married Greggy Araneta in June 1983. People also recall the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Ilocos Norte in August that year, destroying the altar and part of the belfry, which also stands apart from the church.
That said, this structure, which was built in the Baroque and Neo-Classical styles during the mid to late 1700s, is one of the province's most popular for several reasons: Its size (the church is said to be the region's largest), the terrific brickwork, and the interesting fact that a staircase connects it to the nearby convent-turned-museum.
Badoc Church
Though this whitewashed structure is under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist, its fame rests on two things: It houses a beloved image of the Virgin Mary that locals call "La Virgen Milagrosa" (The Miraculous Virgin), and it is where the renowned 19th-century Filipino painter-patriot Juan Luna was baptized.
The church, which was presumably constructed in the first half of the 18th century, may appear simple compared to the others listed here, but its most distinguished feature is its brick buttresses; these resemble those at the more wellknown Paoay Church.
Bacarra Church
Among the churches featured in this list, this one, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, was the most recently built. It was reconstructed in 1984 after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the province a year earlier destroyed the previous colonial-era structure. Though the church is a tourist spot in its own right, many seem to be drawn more to its still-impressive bell tower ruins, which tourists used to call "The Leaning Tower of the North," because the 1931 tremor caused it to assume a leaning position. However, the 1983 quake destroyed much of its top.
San Nicolas Church
Adopting as its patron one of the very first Augustinians to be canonized, Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, this church—first built in the early 1700s and reconstructed between 1811 and 1830—stands out primarily because, unlike most Catholic houses of worship in the province, its bell tower is actually attached to the church.
Paoay Church
Declared as a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) World Heritage site in 1993, this church—dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo and built between 1704 and 1894—earns distinction for the Gothic, Baroque and Oriental styles present in its architecture, which has been described as "Earthquake Baroque."
The description is apt: 24 massive buttresses—the previously mentioned Badoc Church has relatively smaller versions of these—and 1.67-meter thick walls prevent the church from collapsing if an earthquake strikes. It helped that the structure used a number of materials for its construction: baked bricks, coral rocks, lumber, and salbot (tree sap).
All these and more helped the church in becoming one of the province's top tourist destinations. Among the structures listed here, it is arguably the most photographed.
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